THE MILITANT Saturday, January 25, 1980 On the Chinese Revolution Mummery in Labor Unions Was it admissible, in the interests of the Northern Campaign, to curb the agrarian revolution (telegraphic directives in the name ci the Political Bureau of the Russian Communist Party. Trotsky Reply to the Letter of the Chinese Opposition Group Was it admissible to renounce the slogan of Soviets, from the moment that the Very few workers are conscious of tho Dear Comrades: ological opponents, honest social democratic broad movement of workers and peasants destructive influence of secret and ritualOn December 20 received your letter workers included is an enormous crime developed, that is, in 1925 27 (Stalin Buch istic work in their union meetings.
of November 15: it took 35 days from Shan and madness that must inevitably turn up arin. The altar, with its open bible in the center of shai to Constantinople. For my reply to on the revolutionary party itself. In the Was the Stalinist slogan of a workreach you, at least as many days must be bitter struggle that Bolshevism conducted the lodge room, the chaplain with his readers and peasants party, that is, the old allowed. Nothing can be done about it: against the Narodniki and the Mensheviks ing of the prayer at the opening and closslogan of the Russian Narodniki, acceptable neither air mail nor radio are yet at the for the 15 years that preceded the October ing, the juggling of pass words, signs and for China, even for an instant?
counter signs, creates a stilling and depresservice of the Opposition cause.
revolution, there was never a question of So far as the second period is con sing atmosphere of solemn mummery in The most important thing in your letter employing methods of physical violence.
cerned: Is the announcement that you have publish As for individual terror, we Marxists reworkers meetings. This is especially true da platform of the Chinese Opposition.
in the division and lodge rooms of the jected it even with regard to the czarist Was the resolution of the Communist satraps. Nevertheless, in recent times the International which said that the crushing You should immediately translate it at Railroad Brotherhoods, where ritualistic least into a European language. The whole Communist parties or rather their apparatus of the workers and peasants movement by mummery is practiced under the influence Internationl Opposition must have the posand support of the official bureaucrats who peoplo, have resorted more and more fre the Kuo Min Tang of the right and left sibility of knowing this highly important figure that it is a harmless way to spend quently to the disruption of meetings and signified a transitition of the revolution to document. will await your platform with to other methods of the mechanical supa higher stage (Stalin Bucharin. correct? their time when together. The officials pression of adversaries, notably the Left Op8. Under these conditions, was the slothe greatest impatience.
know that as long as they can induce and In your letter, you pose two questions position. Many bureaucrats are sincerely gan of insurrection, issued by the Com compel the workers to practice these use.
connected with the platform: the Constituless cermonies at their meetings, it will convinced that this is what real Bolshevunist International, correct?
ent Assembly and the United States of ism consists of. They avenge themselves Was the tactic of guerilla warfare, naturally help to keep their minds and Asia. The second question is entirely new; attention away from more serious and imon other proletarian groups for their imrecommened by Ho Lun and Ye Tin, and apI must put off my reply until can devote portart problems, such as organization, potence towards the capitalist state, and proved by the at the moment of the special article to it. On the question of amalgamation, labor party instead of labor thereby transform the bourgeois policy inpolitical ebb tide of the workers and peathe Constituent Assembly, will answer in to an arbiter between us.
sants, correct?
lobby, repeal of gag laws and lowering of few words: official salaries, etc.
It is difficult to imagine the depravity 10. Was the organization of the CanThe Constituent Assembly in China engendered by this combination of impotence ton uprising by the agents of the Bosses are Wiser correct?
The political task of the Chinese Com and violence. The youth becomes more So far as the past in general is con What would be thought of corporation munist Party, weakened and driven into and more accustomed to thinking that the cerned: officials if they would open their meetings illegality, is to mobilize not only the work fist is a surer weapon than argument. That ers but also the broad social layers of the is, a political cynicism is cultivated, which 11. Was the struggle of the in 1924. with ultar, prayer, ritual, pass word, grips, prepares individuals better than anything 27 against the Opposition in the Chinese city and the country against the bourgeoissigns and countersigns as the workers do question a struggle of Leninism against in the Railroad Brotherhoods and many military dictatorship. It is to this end that else for passing over into the fascist camp.
Trotskyism or, on the contrary, a struggle other labor organizations? It would be the simplest and most natural slogan under An implacable struggle must be conducted of Menshevin against Bolshevism?
thought that they were crazy, wouldn it?
present conditions, the Constituent Assemb against the brutal and disloyal methods of ly, must serve. tireless agitation must Stalinism, by denouncing them in the press 12. Was the struggle of the against Our useless and overpaid craft officials the Opposition in 1927 28 a struggle of Bolbe carried on under this slogan, in correl and in meetings, and by cultivating among are also anxious to keep so many gag laws shevism against liquidationism or, on the ation with other slogans of the democratic the workers a hatred and contempt for all in our labor constituticns as they can, so revolution: the transfer of the land to the these pseudo revolutionists who, instead of contrary, a struggle of adventurism against as to stifle every impulse towards change Bolshevisna?
poor peasants, the eight hour day, the in appealing to the brain, take a crack at the that may place their fat meal ticket in dependence of China, the right of self de skull So far as the future is concerned: jeopardy. Section 84, jage 73, of the contermination for the people that constitute it. As for the Tchen Du Hsiu group. am 13. Under the present conditions of vict stitution of the Brotherhood of Locomotive The agitation must be supplemented by pretty well acquainted with the policy it orious counter revolution, is the mobiliz Engineers is a typical example of the kind ation of the Chinese masses under demo of gag laws that are considered most preca propaganda that will make at least the followed in the years of the revolution: it most advanced sections of the proletariat was the policy of Stalin Bucharin Martinov, cratic slogans, notably that of the Constitu ious by the labor fakers. This law forbids understand that the road leading to the Con that is, in essence, a policy of Right Menent Assembly, necessary, as the Opposition every member and local union in the of stituent Assembly can only pass through shevism. Comrade wrote me, however, believes, or is there any ground for being from printing anything concerning the the insurrection against the military usurp that Tchen Du Hsiu, basing himself on the limited to the abstract propaganda of the Brotherhood or its leadership. Think of ore and the seizure of power by the popu experience of the revolution, has come conslogan of Soviets, as the I, has decided. such ignorance enforced on the workers.
lar masses.
siderably closer to our position. It goes 14. Has the slogan of the workers and It is this gag law which now protects the The government that will issue from the without saying that this can only be welpeasants democratic dictatorship still a re of officials from the wrath of the victorious revolution of the workers and comed. In your letter, however, you catevolutionary content, as the thinks, or membership. It is section 84 that protects peasants can be nothing but a government gorically dispute this information of com is it necessary on the contrary to sweep the officials in their game of robbing the of the dictatorship of proletariat, leading rade You even contend that Tchen Duaway this masked formula of the Kuo Min membership by levying five dollar monthly behind it the majority of the exploited and Hsiu has not separated himself from the Tang and to explain that the victory of the assessements on the members without being oppressed people. But the difference must policy of Stalin, which presents a mixture alliance of the workers and peasants can compelled to render a definite account of be clearly understood between the general of opportunism and adventurism. But here only end in China in the dictatorship of the proceeds.
revolutionary perspective which we must again, have up to now read only one the proletariat. Lengthy obligations, incorporated in tirelessly develop in articles and in theoret15. Is the theory of socialism in one program declaration of Tchen Du Isiu. the rituals, administered to applications for ical and propraganda speeches and the pre an therefore in no position to express mycountry applicable to China, or, on the conmembership, also contain a lot of gag rules sent political slogan under which we can, self on this question.
trary, can the Chinese revolution triumph beginning today, mobilize the masses by which are practically hidden from the In other respects, conceive a solidarity only as a chain of the world revolution?
and accomplish its tasks to the very end rank and file.
actually opposing them to the regime of the in principle in the Chinese question only military dictatorship. Such a central pol.
These are, in my opinion, the principle Bilitant Twice Expelled on the basis of clear replies to the following Itical slogan is the slogan of the Constituent questions to which the platform of the Chinquestions: Assembly.
ese Opposition must necessarily give a reThe writer of this article has on two This slogan is dealt with briefly in the So far as the first period of the revolu ply. These questions have a great importdifferent occasions seen these gas laws in tion is concerned: draft of the platform of the Chinese Opance for the whole International. The practcial operation by the of burposition, drawn up in Constantinople by Did the leading role of the national epoch of reaction that China is now passeaucrats and their henchmen in the ranks.
some Chinese and foreign comrades. My Chinese bourgeoisie follow from the anti ing throu but become, as it has always In 1919, Grand Chief Warren Stone used young friend know, has transmitted imperialist character of the Chinese revol been in history, an epoch of theoretical preSection 84 in ordering me expelled from this draft to you. With all the greater ution (Stalin Bucharin. occupation. What characterizes the young Division 369 of the of becaused 2. Was the slogan of the bloc of four Chinese revolutionists at the present time impatience do await your platform so as published two articles on amalgamation to be able to judge, documents in hand, classes the big bourgeoisie, the retty Is the passion to understand, to study, to which he refused to publish in the of if there are differences between you and bourgeoisie, the peasantry and the proletar embrace the question in its entirety. The L, Journal. Ten years later, in 1929, comrade and if the separate existence lat (Stalin Bucharin. correct, even for a idealess bureaucracy, the Chinese vanguard was again expelled by Stone successor in of two groups is justified. Up to the time single instant?
of the proletariat will produce from its office, Alvanley Johnston, aided by his tools that am able to become acquainted with Were the entry of the Chinese Com ranks a pleiade of notable Marxists who in Division 369, for spreading literature the facts and documents, am obliged to munist Party in to the Kuo Min Tang and will render service to the whole Interpointing out the injustice of the five dollar refrain from formulating any Judgement on the admission of the latter into the Comun nation. special assessment without the rendition of this important question.
ist International (resolution of the Political With Opposition greetings, a definite account to the membership as to Bureau of the Russian Communist Party) TROTSKY Stalinist Impotence and Ylolence where the proceeds of this special assessadmissible?
Prinkipo, December 22, 1929 ment are going and why we are paying it.
You report that the Chinese Stalinists This time the obligation was brought into have fired on an Oppositionist in the streets play as had not violated Section 84. The of Canton. Monstrous as this act may be, do not consider it impossible. In his literature but also forbids the giving out of Testament. Lenin accused Stalin personCHICAGO Figures of the Illinois de siderable, the department asserts on the literature pertaining to the Brotherhood.
ally of having a tendency to abuse power, partment of labor do not show much hope basis of its free employment service. CornThus, yag rule in the of is comthat is, of violence. Since then, this trait plete, has developed monstrously in the apparatus of Hoover prosperity coming to this import husking machinery caused an unusually ant industrial state. There were almost light demand for farm labor during the systematic and organized fight must of the Russion Communist Party and has two applicants for every job listed, the ratio month. With road work also slacker the be carried on by the militant section of been extended to the Communist Interbeing 181 jobseekers for every 100 available department says that a large volume of national. Naturally, the dictatorship of the the labor movement against these gag laws jobs. year ago there were only 14 ap common labor is idle, presenting a serious Raise these questions at your local and proletariat is inconceivable without the plicants. Both figures apply to November, unemployment problem in practically every use of force, against certain parts of tho union meetings and at conventions. Send the latest month officially available. In large city of the state.
in amendments to the constitution calling proletariat itself as well. The workers October 1929 the ratio was 147 applicants for the repeal of gag laws like Section 84 State, however, also requires that workers for every 100 Jobs.
The average weekly earnings of male democracy exercise the most vigilant conand the abolition of obligations and secret workers in all Illinois industries were 32. 21 Wages Decline trol in order to know who, how and in whose in November. Females earned 18. 94 a week used by useless and crooked officials to work. Obligations and gag laws are always name violence is employed. This question Wages are also in a bad way, the state on the average. In manufacturing the averpresents itself in an entirely different man department reports. Payroll totals fell off age was over a dollar lower, being 31. 14 protect themselves against the intelligence ner in the bourgeois countries where the in manufacturing though showing of the masses while in office. They never for males and 17. 08 for female workers.
revolutionary party constitutes only a small slight gains in other industries, chiefly deoperate against the official bureaucrats.
minority of the working class and where partment stores and mail order houses that If a man were employed 50 weeks a year The of E, situation shows this plainly it is obliged to fight in order to gain the profit by the orgy of christmas spending in Illinois this would give him 1, 610. 50 at Obligations, gag laws and secret mummajority. Under such conditions, the use on the part of the comfortable classes. But the average rate, which is far below even meries belong in the garbage can, not in of violence against ideological opponents normal manufacturing was impaired by the government minimum decency stanworkers meetings.
who are not strike breakers, or provocateurs widespread shutdowns or layoffs.
dard as worked out by the bureau of or fascists king treacherously, but ide. The volume of unemployment is con labor statistics. UDLUND Hoover Prosperity Invisible in State of Illinois ations and money et de les per persona